Biocube 29 PC lighting to LED lighting... all done! (with pics)

Wired up the driver when I got home.  Unfortunately, NO WHERE around here seems to sell potentiometers that are capable of supporting the power of these drivers.  (I'm only powering 19 LEDs with 2 drivers...).  So, they aren't quite "all done", but all the rest can be done once the lights are in the tank.  I have it set up so all the wires are external to the tank.  I can wire in the potentiometers and the other driver no problem.  I'm only worried about all the lights kicking on at once.  They were at under 3V in the pics, I had to run all 19 of them off one driver, fortunately it worked.


I'm debating throwing them in the hood tomorrow and then I can get some in tank pics.  The color blending is great, no banding.  I'm worried about them being "too intense" for the corals without the potentiometer being able to dim them until I get it wired in (which requires purchasing it).

 

I'm using a dimmable driver.  No power supply needed.  In fact, I wired the two leads that go to/from the potentiometer together in order to bypass it (run full power) for it to work.  And btw, the Radio Shack in Coralville said their potentiometer wasn't anywhere near able to handle the driver.  If that's not true, I'll have this done tomorrow morning!  Any input?  This has a 10v output to the potentiometer, then the return wire is 1-10v depending on what it's set at.

 

I'm using the EUC-040S070DS.  38 Watts, 18-54 VDC output (though I measured 56.4 with my meter... better safe than sorry!), and current output of 0.14-0.7A. 
I have lost my faith in anyone at RadioShack.  I've never used a potentiometer, so I figured to error on the side of caution.  Last week, I asked for an AC to DC converter and he sold me an AC - AC adapter.  I called before I got home.  I ended up cutting apart a phone charger to test all my connections in pairs of 4 so I wouldn't have any surprises with the drivers.  And fortunately, I didn't... it fired up the first time I flipped the switch.

 

wonderful... I'll pick up a pair tomorrow. The LED build was silly easy, the only thing I was disappointed with is that there isn't a "plug and play" driver for dimming. That is, you just turn a knob on the driver and power goes up/down.

 

oh yeah...? I'm also using XM-Ls, which can be pushed to 3A.... I can always swap in a different driver if I decide they aren't enough.  Though I figured the light acclimation is going to take a long time, I don't know that I'll be looking at any SPS, though I'm sure the LEDs will make the RBTA happier.  And yes, I posted it on ReefCentral also.  Amazing how many more replies I get on here than that huge site... /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif

 

Maybe I got lucky with the bypass. I just assumed it needed connected for the circuit to work, so I did. I'm wiring everything else in right now

 

I just finished wiring/soldering everything into place. Works perfectly. I'm mounting it INSIDE the stock Biocube 29 hood, where the stock PC lights mount. This will allow me to utilize the stock fans for cooling, provide a splash shield for the lights and help prevent salt creep. The lighting fixture has 4 rubber feet that will contact the plastic PC light shield. I'm at the point where I'm ready to make it all fit into the hood.

 

they will sit off of it around 1/4" or so. I don't foresee any problems from that. I have just finished putting all the wires into conduit tubing. Time to take some "Before" shots of the tank

 

Alright, I should update this thread!
Here's the lighting all done.

Before...
Camera settings (IIRC) - ISO 100, f/5.0 (crappy lens, but better for wide angle), 1/3 second shutter

Yes, I realize I have a little cyano going on up front... that'll have to be taken care of soon.
Modifying the stock hood for the larger wiring...

I also trimmed some of the plastic shield for wiring to exit.
Lighting test!

And... After (yes, it was this easy) just throwing the hood back on.

Camera settings - ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/40th second (IIRC).  This is on the lowest setting for the Crees.
And some actinic just for good measure.

 

Oh! I almost forgot... the stock hood fans work just fine.